Tropical Salvage (Portland OR) was founded by Timothy O'Brien in 1999. Tropical Salvage is a tropical wood furniture company that never cuts down a single tree to make their products.
While many tropical wood products are the result of illegally obtained wood from deforestation of tropical rain forests, Tropical Salvage items are made from reclaimed wood and trees from rivers, volcanic debris, and construction sites. According to their website, "we deconstruct old houses, buildings and bridges; we salvage old, wild-growth trees from rivers and lakes; we salvage trees felled by floods and landslides caused by Indonesia's annual intense rainy season; and, unique to Tropical Salvage, we mine trees from beneath the ground, where for centuries caches of large, species-diverse trees have laid buried by the consequences of volcanic eruptions."
The wood and trees are then transported to one of their two facilities in Indonesia where artisans build, carve, and finish the wood to create beautiful furniture and decorative items. Items are then shipped to US and Canada for retail sale. You can view the products on their website. The company is currently seeking new retailers to stock their products.
Tropical Salvage is collaborating with the nonprofit Institute for Culture and Ecology to create the Jepara Forest Conservancy, a public forest park and environmental education facility.
"Old wood. New use. Positive change."
Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!
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